Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-30
LYNCH LAW.
The Death of PanchO Daniel, the
Terror of the south.

Terror of the south.
During three years, 1913, South
ern California was infested with num-
erous outlaws. They were not all OF
Mexican nationality, as some might
suppose; many of the "sydney men"
and refugees from other parts shared
in the gore and booty of the times.
The patience of the people was
about exhausted; for though the des-
perado might occasionally be captured,
the law was rarely enforced. 1t was
simply infamous, this prostitution of
legal authority by its ministers, for
the subserviency of their own selfish
ends. A hundred dwellings might
burn, hundred travellers might be
stopped upon the highway, so that the
pettifogger secured his fee and the
Judge his salary.
The most notorious bandit of his
time was Pancho Daniel. By his
hand four of Sheriff Barton's posse,
in undertaking his capture, had been
killed in 1856. A reward of $500 had
been offered by Governor Johnson for
his arrest, and $500 additional by the
citizens of Los Angeles and vicinity.
On the 10th of January, 1858, he was
captured by the Sheriff, who found
him in haystack near San Jose.
After his arrest part of the time he
was confined in jail, and part of the
time at large on bail. He had under
gone three attempted trials in the
courts, and the last move was a change
of venue to Santa Barbara; in other
words, the law had concluded to let
the robber loose.
The people of Los Angeles con-
cluded that the farce had lasted about
long enough, so one night about 22O
of them met and resolved that before
the sun rose again, the Pancho Daniel
venue would be changed to a point
farther away than Santa Barbara.
Luckily the sheriff was absent hunt
ing Andrea Fontes, one of Daniels
band, who had been seen lurking in
the vicinity. Attention generally was
attracted in other directions. There
was Banning's new steam yacht from
San Francisco, and quite concourse
of people, accompanied by brass
band, had gone to San Pedro to cele-
brate its arrival. An emigrant train
had just come in. Then there we're
many strangers in town, on their way
to and from the Gila mines, whose
conversation drew attention toward
that quarter.
Part of the 22O thought they should
enjoy sleeping in a corral near the
jail; 80 they tried it. The others,
fascinated by the charms of an early |
semi-tropical morning, rose before the |
break of day and strolled toward the |
jail, common attractions seemed ly-
ing in that direction. But just before |
reaching the spot whittier they tended,
enough, they all disap-
peared, vanished into thin air; SO |
that, when the old methodic.,l jailer,
just at dawn, as was his Gus, ,m, ap-
peared with his basket on the way to
market, not soul was to be seen.
Before he had taken twenty steps,
from the gate which he had
just carefully locked, many were to be |
seen. He thought he saw thousand,
but there were only the 220. The old |
jailer at once permitted himself to be
by numbers, and the
keys to be gently wresteds from him
by the courteous though resolute citi-
zens.
The 22O, with the key in their
hands, and the jailer their prisoner,
had but to finish their work, which
they did 30 quietly as not to disturb
the morning sleep of any in the place.
Accordingly, the remaining inhabi-
tants were no less surprised than de-
lighted when, arising on the morning
Of the 3Oth of November, they beheld
the carcass of the notorious outlaw,
Pancho Daniel, dangling in the gate
way of the Jail yard.-From H. H.
Popular Tribunals"